Twenty Years
by valdezy
Summary: She just stares at the visitor. She doesn't know what to think. She hasn't seen him for twenty years, since he moved to District 2 for that fancy job. "Oh, hello, Gale," She manages to choke out.


**So, yay! My first fanfiction! Although it's only a one-shot… I'm actually really surprised that I decided to make my first fic a Hunger Games one, because I've actually never finished Mockingjay, and The Hunger Games isn't my #1 favorite series. But I had this idea in my head after hearing about what happens to Gale and Katniss in Mockingjay. Personally, I like Gale and Katniss together over Katniss and Peeta, but what am I gonna do? I guess Katniss and Peeta isn't a terrible pairing. **

**Disclaimer: It's true. Hard to believe, but _no, _I don't own the Hunger Games! It's sad, really.**

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><p>It's been twenty years.<p>

He stands in front of a big white house. It's not very unusual. A bit bigger than average, with a large yard. A tree house sits nestled in a large apple tree in the back. Two children run in the yard, playing a game which he can only assume is hide-and-go-seek.

He swallows. He's been avoiding this moment since he was 19 and moved to District 2.

Gathering his fears, be walks up the steps to the front porch.

He isn't wearing a tuxedo. He hates them, but he always has to wear them for his job. But not today. Today, he is in clothes similar to what he might have used to wear. Simple. They're comforting. His hand pauses by the doorbell, but he reaches to knock the door instead.

Muffled footsteps. A recognizable voice from inside the house cries out,

"Who is it? No one's _knocked _on the door since the doorbell was broken!"

His fear rises up again. He hasn't seen her for more than fifteen years. The door creaks open, and he is met with a familiar face.

Peeta.

Peeta stares at him, a look of shock on his face. Peeta hadn't been expecting this. With his hand still on the doorknob, he turns around and calls out,

"Katniss? Honey, come here," Peeta calls out. "I think the visitor is for you."

Katniss doesn't understand why her husband is acting so strangely. Her daughter and son have just come back in from playing outside, and she is trying to clean them up from the mud splattered all over their clothes. She abandons this as she walks to the front door.

"Peeta? What is-?" She stops in the middle of her sentence. She stares at the visitor. She doesn't know what to think. She hasn't seen him for twenty years, since he moved to District 2 for that fancy job. "Oh, hello, Gale," She manages to choke out.

Gale just stares at her. He can't form words. He has been planning this moment, planning what to say for years. But his mind has gone blank. He always imagined Katniss would be yelling or sobbing when she saw him. Never once did he think that she would simply say hello. Behind that hello, though, Gale can see the ice. He knows she is still mad and upset. So he stammers out a question.

"Can we talk?" He looks at Peeta. "Alone?" Peeta frowns, hesitates, but he finally obliges. Katniss gives him a look that says plainly _don't leave, _but it's too late; Peeta has gone upstairs and Katniss is left awkwardly alone with Gale. After standing in a painful silence for a minute, she breaks the quiet.

"I didn't expect to see you here." The words rush out of Gale after she says that. He can't stop. He came here today for a reason, and he is going to finish, no matter how afraid he is.

"Katniss, I know it's been a while and you probably hate me. I know that I caused you so much pain, and I'm sorry. For everything." Originally, Gale had come here with an entire speech. But now, faced in the moment, this was all he could get out. He knows that he can't tell her he still loves her. Not now. She loves Peeta. She made her choice, because she hates him, Gale has to remind himself. He begins to turn around and walk out of her yard when she stops him.

"Gale." He turns around. Katniss has been joined by the two children he saw running in the yard before. Katniss brings the little girl up front. "This is Rose Madge Everdeen."

Gale isn't surprised, but it stills hurts to hear. "After Prim? And your friend Madge?" He asks. Katniss only nods. Gale points to the smaller little boy. "And him?" Katniss pauses, then says,

"His name is Cinna. Cinna Rue Mellark." Gale only nods. He expected that Katniss would name her children, if she had any, after the people she loved.

"Mommy? Who's he?" Rose points at Gale.

"This is Gale, Rosie. Now go back inside, alright?" Katniss's voice sounds strained. But Rose doesn't seem to hear it. She grins, and Gale can see her two front teeth are gone. She skips inside, and little Cinna follows after. As the door shuts, it occurs to Gale that Katniss kept her last name. He's glad about that. It shows her independence.

"Are you going to have any more?" Gale asks. He can't stand this topic, but he wants to know.

"Maybe. If I do, and it's a boy, his name will be Finnick." Gale shifts uncomfortably.

"Look, Katniss, I need to tell you something-" He's cut off.

"Gale, why are you here?" It's a simple question, but it catches Gale off guard. He assumed that Katniss would know why. "I know you didn't come here _just_ to apologize." Gale has not been this nervous in years. He wished he and Katniss were closer now, wished they still had that special connection where they could pretty much tell what the other was thinking. That would make these next few moments much easier.

"Katniss, I-I don't know how to say this, but-" He faltered. Katniss just stood there as if expecting the worst. He stared at her. She was just as beautiful as always, but he could see the distrust and unhappiness. Did he cause this pain? Gale knew part of her pain was caused by him, but he didn't want to face the facts. He gulped his fear down and rushed through the next sentence like his life truly depended on it. "Katniss, I know that you love Peeta, but… but I still love you, Katniss Everdeen!" There. He had said it. Gale expected Katniss to whip out her bow and arrow any second now and start shooting him. Heck, he expected her to start doing that the minute she saw him!

Katniss just stood there. This was almost worse than what Gale had been expecting. She studied him, as if trying to decide if he was being serious or not. Gale gathered his guts. He was Gale Hawthorne. He was not afraid of _anything._ There was no reason for him to be so uncomfortable in this situation. Except for the fact that he was confronting a girl he loved, who he caused pain to, who was married to someone else.

"Gale-"

"Katniss, I don't expect you to leave Peeta for me. I just wanted you to know that I didn't leave because I didn't like you anymore."

"Gale, will you-"

" I really didn't mean to cause you pain before, and if I was the one to kill Prim, than I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to. You know that I loved her like a sister, Katniss."

"Gale, stop interrupting-"

"Let me finish, Katniss! I know that this was not the right time to come visit you and tell you this, after you're married and all, but I had to let you know that I still love you. And I know that you must hate my guts, and I truly don't expect you to forgive me. I know things will never go back to the way it was, in District 12, when Prim was there, and we would go hunting every day, but-"

"GALE! Shut up and let me finish a sentence, will you?" Katniss finally managed to say. Gale stared at her. He hadn't realized that he'd been ranting. Also, he had thought that Katniss had changed from the girl he used to know, from the Mockingjay, but her last sentence was very much something the old Katniss would say. Katniss inhaled.

"Now it's my turn to rant, alright?" She asked him. He nodded. "Good. Gale, you have a lot of guts, coming here after I'm married and have children. Not just to apologize, but to tell me you still _love_ me? That's a little much for one day. And yes, I did hate you for a time. I'll admit, when I heard you had taken that job in District 2, I was actually relieved. I'm not really sure how I feel about you right now. I'm still upset about Prim, but I know that she would want me to make amends. So I'll forgive you. I don't love you Gale; but maybe we can try being friends again?"

Gale stared at her in shock. Friends? He shook himself out of his stupor. He hadn't been expecting this.

"Sure, Katniss. Let's try that." Katniss smiled. Gale knew that it wasn't the same smile she used to give him, but maybe in time they would be as close as they used to.

"Are you going to quit your job?" Katniss asked. Gale blinked. What? "You never liked tuxedoes, did you," She smiled again, this time a bit brighter. She turned around and walked inside to her family, where Gale could hear Rose yelling something about the Tooth Fairy, Peeta running down the stairs asking what happened with Gale. Gale smiled. Deep down, he hoped that he and Katniss might eventually be together, but until then he had to find a hotel. Gale had a feeling he might be staying here a while.

It's been twenty years.

But maybe there's some hope for them yet.

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><p><strong>So, yeah. First fanfic! And I know its super sappy. I also know that Katniss and Gale are OOC, but I tried to make them as in character as I could for the given situation. So now YOU have to review! You know you want to hit the button… The very obvious button… That says REVIEW! Flames will be used to make s'mores, by the way. <strong>

**So yeah. I've been working on a new Percy Jackson fanfic, so that should be up soon. **

**Ahem…**

**REVIEW! Pretty please?**


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